Suction-cleaner attachment



H. E. HOOVER SUCTION CLEANER ATTACHMENT Filed Aug. 16. 1920 A PatentJuly 24, 1923.

lTED STTES EARL HOOVER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOE, IBY IHESNEASSIGN- II-ENTS, y'.lO THE HOOVER COMPANY, OF NORTH CANTON, OHIO, ACORPORATION OF DMO.

SUCTIO-NfCLEANER ATTACHMENT.

Application tiled August 16, 1920. Serial No. @33%.

To all whom, t'ma'y concern: Beit known that I, HOWARD EARL HOOVER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, inthe county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in SuctionfCleaner Attachments, of which the following is aspeciication. Y

My invention relates to improvements in suction cleaners and moreparticularly to means for limiting the motion of the handle usedtherewith.

During thenormal operation of a suction claner'a motion is imparted tothe Ypropelling handle. by the swinging of the operator s arm.' It is,therefore, necessary that the handle be freely pivoted to the machine.At each end of the normal a'rc of travel, it is desirable that thehandle become xed relatively to theI machine so that the front or rearof it can be raised by the operator when passing on to a rug, 'forexample. In order toy store the machine in a minimum amount of space, itis desirable that means. be providedfor locking the handle in an uprightposition. Under certain circumstances, the handle must be allowed toassume a position l approximately parallel to the floor.

The object Vof my invention, therefore, is to provide a handlecontrolling device for suction-cleaners or the like, which will limitthe free movement of the' handle to the arc of travel necessary fornormal operation, or

allow the handle to be moved through its extreme range of travel at theoption of the operator, and at the same time prevent the handle fromaccidental change from one `range f travel to the other; and, further`to provide means whereby the handle may be,

ocked in an upright position.

Other objects will be apparent `to those skilled in the' art from astudy of the drawi s and appended claims.

t is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanyingdrawings wherein: s

Figure 1 isa side elevation;

Figure 2 is a partial section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Like parts are designated by like characters throughout.

A is a suction cleaner casing with a suction nozzle A', and a dischargeo ening A?.

B is a handle bail connected wit a handle B being secured to it by asleeve B2. It is pivoted on the casing by the pins B3 B3, which aresecured to the bosses B4 B* on the casing. There is a handle bail stopplate C provided with a manipulatin knob or handle C. It 1s pivotallymounte on ne side of the handle bail at B by means of the screw C3. Theplate C is provided with a slot system which consists of a short slotportion D4 'and a long slot portion D. A further slot part D connectsthese two slot portions and at the lower end of the plate is the angleD2 and the locking part of the slot system Da. 'Ihis slot system couldbe greatl varied in slze and proportions-of its severa parts, and thetwo parts of the portion D which are here lshown as at an angle to eachother, might be otherwise arranged. Eis a pin whlch is mounted on orattached to a boss E of the casing and which projects through the slotsystem and is 'provided with a washer E2 which overhangs the late. Thedetails of Vthis arrangement nee not he as shown. It'is obvious thateither the plate GMD pin travels for the two separate ranges of handlemotion should be vconnected in such a way that the pin may pass from oneto another, but that it will not tend to do so under normal conditions.The arrangement is such that gravity tends to keep the pin in whicheverof these two slot portions 1t may happen -to be traveling. As shown,gravity will tend to keep the pin in whichever of these two slotportions it may at any given moment occupy and that, during the entiremovement of the handle, permissible while the pin is occupying the slotportion in question. Such an arrangement prevents accidental shiftingfrom one ran e of movement to the other and compels t e operator ftomanipulate the machine so as to bring about such shifting as and when hedesires. By makin the' two slot portions D4s and D' 4at an ang e to eachother, the result is acthe slot portions D4 and D', the tendency of thepin to pass from one slot to another is reduced to a minimum. The samegeneral result could doubtless be accomplished by various modifications.When the pin is in the Slot D', the handle has a free, unrestrictedmovement from the two extreme points of its excursion and there is notendency of' the pin to pass from this slot into the short excursionslot portion DL manipulated for that purpose by the operator.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

The position of the handle during normal operation as the machine is runback and forth will vary between that shown in full lines and that shownin dotted lines and indicated at X. This is the play which the handlewill make as the hand ot the operator swings and rises and falls. Whenthe machine is set away it is usually desirable to have the handlestraight up as the machine will then occupy less room for storage. Thisposition is the one shown in dotted lines and indicated at Y. In orderto bring the handle to that position the stop is raised so as to treethe pin E from the slot portion D* and allow the stop plate to ridealong the pin until the latter has reached the end of the slot portion Dand entered the slot part D3. This is the position indicated in dottedlines at Y.

In order to 'allow the machine to be run under low articles otlfurniture and the like it is necessary to place the handle in theposition shown in dotted lines Z. The manner of doingr this is similarto the manner of raising the handle to the vertical position only thatinstead of allowing the stop plate to come to rest with the pin in theend of the-slot at D3` the stop plate is so manipulated as to allow itto slide about the pin and to bring the pin into the portion D.

When it is desired to use the machine the relation of parts is thatshown in full lines. In that position the stop will normally slide onthe pin which will lie within` the ,short slot portion D4. Thisarrangement cannot accidentally be displaced. In order to move thehandle to the vertical or to they horizontal position it is necessary topositively manipulate the stop.

I claim- 41. In a suctioncleaner comprising a casing having a pivotedhandle, the handle including a pivotally mounted member provided with aslot system the upper edges of which are uninterrupted and act asguideunless ways, which system comprises a short slot, a long slot, anda connecting slot extending from the long slot to the underside of theshort slot, and a member adapted to be received in said slot system, onemember being mounted on said handle, the other member being mounted onsaid casing.

2. In a structure having a pivoted handle, a controlling device for thehandle comprising a member provided with a system ofcounected` slots,and a second member adapted to project through said slots, said slotsbe-V ing provided with uninterrupted upper surfaces acting; asguideways, one of said members being mounted on the handle and one ofsaid members being pivotally mounted on a separate portion ot' thestructure.

3. In combination with a tool and a 'handle pivotally mounted thereon, acontrolling device comprising a pivotally mounted ,member and a fixedmember, one of said members being mountedl on the handle andi the otheron the tool, one cf'said members being provided with a series ot'connected slots each having an uninterrupted edge tending throughout therange of travel to contact with the other member under the influence ofgravity and acting as a guideway.

l. The combination with a tool and a pivoted handle bail therefor, ofmeans for limiting the motion ot' the handle bail at its upper and itslower positions and for limiting its excursion to a relatively narrowarc ot' movement intermediate such positions, said means comprising twoengaging members. one mounted on the tool, the other on the handlebail,v and one being pivotally n-iounted. one ot said members beingprovided with a slot system comprising two portions having uninterruptedupper surfaces with which the other member contacts throughout the rangeof travel and under the influence ot' gravity and which act asguideways, and a third portion connecting them. y

The combination 'with a tool and a pivoted handle bail therefor, ofmeans for limiting the motion ot' the handle bail at its upper and atits lower positions and for limiting its excursion to a relatively`narrow arc of movement intermediate such positions, said means.comprising two co-operating members, one mounted on the tool, the otheron thehandle bail, and one being pivotally mounted` one of said membersbeing provided with a. slot system comprising two portions having`uninterrupted upper surfaces with which the other member contactsthroughout the range of travel under the influence of gravity and whichact as guideways. connected by a third portion and having a locking partadapted to hold the handle bail in an upright position.

6. In combination with a 4tool anda handle pivotally mounted thereomacontrollingy de- Vice comprising inter-engaging pivotally mounted andxed members, one of said members being mounted on the'handle and theother on the tool, one of said members being provided with uninterruptedguide edges formed by the edges of guideways provided in it which tendlto contact throughout the range of travel with the other member underthe influence of gravity, the whole acting asa guideway system for thehandle, each of the guide edges being provided with a stop at each end.

7. A handle bail stop comprising a pin and a plate, one of thempivotally mounted, a

guideway system in the plate adapted toy be engaged by the pin, theguideway system oomprislng two separated guides, each of themterminating at each end ina stop, the

guides being of unequal length, a connection between said guides, thepin and guideway system being adapted to be held' in working relation bygravity, the pi'n being adapted to be shunted from one guide to theother only by manual rotation of the pivoted member to permit passage ofthe pin through the connection.

. 8. In combination with a tool and -a han# dle pivotally mountedthereon, a handle control comprising a guide member and a guided member,one mounted on the handle, the other mounted on the tool, one of saidmembers having a guideway system therein adapted to be engaged by theother member, the guideway system comprising two separated guides, eachof them terminating at each end in a stop, one guide and stop groupbeing adapted to limit the movement ofthe guided member between widelyseparated points and the other adapted to limit the movement of theguided member between less widely separated points, the end of one guideextending beyond the end of the other guide, a connection between theseends of said guides, the members being adapted to be held| in workingrelation by gravity, one of the members being adapted to be shunted fromone guide to the other through the connection only by manual rotation ofone of the members.

In testimony whereof, l aix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses this 12 day of August 1920.

HOWARD EARL HOOVER. Witnesses:

NEVA CHOUINARD, EDNA B. PETERSON.

